Resources

Profile of Metro Atlanta

Metro Atlanta is a premier destination for business professionals and families. The area is home to 5.8 million people and more than 160,000 businesses. Metro Atlanta’s diverse economy, global access, abundant talent, low costs of business and living, and vibrant quality of life are reasons to choose metro Atlanta.

Metro Atlanta Chamber

News & Press

Demographics

The Atlanta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is the business capital of the southeastern U.S. and a global business hub. Metro Atlanta is one of the fastest growing metros in the U.S. and has the 10th largest economy in the U.S. as measured by Gross Metro Product (GMP).

The Southeast’s population is 83.2 million and its economy is the largest of all U.S. regions. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the Southeast measured $3.8 trillion in 2015. Only two foreign countries have a greater GDP than the U.S. Southeast – China and Japan.

Snapshot

% of population 25 and over with a Bachelor’s degree or higher (2015 Est.)

37.0%

48.3%

% of population foreign-born (2015 Est.)

13.8%

6.9%

Labor Force (2016 Est.)

2,938,612

241,781

Median Household Income (2015 Est.)

$60,219

$50,210

World Ranking of Global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Billions of U.S. Dollars, 2015

Rank

Location

GDP

1

USA

$17,947

2

China

$10,866

3

Japan

$4,123

Southeast U.S.A.

$3,817

4

Germany

$3,356

6

United Kingdom

$2,849

10

Canada

$1,550

15

Mexico

$1,144

20

Saudi Arabia

$646

State of Georgia, U.S.A

$496

25

Belgium

$454

30

Venezuela

$371

Metro Atlanta, GA, U.S.A.

$339

35

Malaysia

$296

Metropolitian Area

8,723 square miles

22,592 square kilometers

29 counties

Metro Atlanta has the lowest relative cost of doing business among the nation’s 10 largest metro areas.

(KPMG, Competitive Alternatives: Guide to International Business Location Costs, 2016)

Government

Atlanta is the capital city of Georgia. The Capitol Dome brightens Atlanta’s skyline and is layered in 43 ounces of pure gold that was mined in Dahlonega, Georgia, the site of America’s first “Gold Rush.”

The City of Atlanta is governed by a mayor and a 15-member city council that is managed by the council president.

The 29 counties that make up metro Atlanta are individually governed by boards of commissioners, city councils and mayors.

Atlanta’s symbol is the Phoenix, a legendary bird of Egyptian mythology, that rose from its own ashes after the Civil War. The seal of the city bears the Phoenix and the Latin term, “Resurgens,” which means “rising again.”